How to Make Indian Tepees

The Plains Indians, who traveled between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River in search of buffalo, lived in portable housing called tepees. They made tepees out of long tree branches and tanned animal hides. Making a replica of a tepee out of household items will enrich your exploration of the lives of the Plains Indians. This project can be done at home with children or with a classroom full of students.

Things You'll Need

• Large brown paper grocery bag
• 4 straight sticks, 12 inches long
• 1 rubber band
• Yarn
• Black, blue, red, and yellow markers, crayons or paints
• Pencil
• 2-inch round jar lid
• Ruler
• Glue
• Scissors
• Pin or tack

Instructions

Create the Tepee Covering

1. Cut the bottom out of the paper bag. Find the seam and pull it apart so that the bag opens out flat.

2. Crush the bag into a ball and then flatten it out carefully to avoid tearing the paper. Repeat this process until the bag is soft and supple, almost like fabric, then smooth the paper out as flat as you can.

3. Use the ruler to draw a line near one of the long sides of the paper bag.

4. Tie a single knot in the end of an 18-inch piece of yarn. Push the pin or tack through the knot. Tie the other end to the pencil so that the distance between the pin and the pencil is between 10 and 11 inches.

5. Place the pin or tack in the middle of the long line that you drew along the side of the bag and stretch the yarn so that the yarn is taut.

6. Holding the pin in place, keep the yarn taut while you draw a half-circle with the pencil. Remove the pencil, yarn and pin/tack.

7. Place the 2-inch round jar lid so that the center of it is directly over the pinhole from drawing the larger half circle. With your pencil, trace around the jar lid from one side of the line to the other.

8. Cut out the large half circle and cut the smaller half circle out of the larger one. It will look like you have half a donut with a small hole.

9. Draw geometric designs and animal shapes on the half-circle of brown paper with the markers, paint or crayons.

10. Fold back "flaps" about 4 inches up from the outside straight edges of the circle to make the door opening for the tepee.

Erecting the Tepee

1. Apply a long, thin bead of glue about 1/4 inch from the inside edge of one of the straight sides of the tepee covering, from the top of the tepee to the flap.

2. Bring the edge around so that it overlaps the top edge of the other straight side by about 1/2 inch, forming a cone.

3. Gather the four long sticks together and use the rubber band to loosely secure them to each other about an inch from one end.

4. Place the cone over the sticks so that the top end with the rubber band protrudes through the smaller hole of the cone. Open the sticks from the bottom to fit the size of the cone.

5. Cover the rubber band and secure the sticks in the open position by wrapping a length of yarn around them several times. Tie the ends of the yarn together and cut the ends off 1/2 inch from the knot.

Tips & Warnings

• If the glue doesn't hold well use tape on the inside of the tepee cover to keep the glue secure while it dries.

• A compass may be substituted for the pin/tack, string and pencil for smaller tepees.

• Any 2-inch diameter item may be substituted for the jar lid.

• Protect your working surface with paper or plastic.

• Supervise children while using scissors and pins.

Resources

• National Park Service: Plains Indians
• Tom Matsumoto School: The Plains
• PBS: Native Americans